The present invention relates to hardware for attachment to portions of a bed in order to hold protective railings along the sides of the bed. More particularly, the invention relates to fixtures or brackets for permanent or detachable connection to a side rail of a conventional bed frame or to the deck of a hospital bed for improved mounting of side rails extending along the sides of the bed.
Side rails are conventionally mounted upon beds of geriatric patients or others requiring such restraints through the use of crossbars extending between the mattress and box springs, or by other means which are subject to leaving gaps between the railing and portions of the bed. As sometimes happens, it is possible for a person in the bed to extend portions of the body, or even the head through such gaps with resulting injury or even death. Although the rails may initially be installed in a manner which avoids such gaps, manipulation of the rails or of portions of the, bed or bedding in the normal course of attending to the patient or changing the bed may result in creating such gaps. In spite of training and instruction of personnel performing these tasks, positioning of the rails relative to other parts of the bed in a potentially dangerous manner still occurs. The problem is exacerbated by the typically high turnover rate of personnel performing such tasks and the fact that they are often entry level, part time employees.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a means of mounting side rails to a bed which greatly reduces the risk of dangerous gaps between portions of the bed and the rails.
It is a further object to provide mounting means for bed side rails which eliminates the use of conventional cross bars.
Another object is to provide hardware for supporting protective rails along the sides of beds which functions as lateral mattress stops.
A still further object is to provide a bed rail support structure which may be used with either standard beds or hospital beds in the secure mounting of protective side rails anywhere along the length of the beds.
Other objects will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.
In furtherance of the foregoing objects, the bed rail support structures of the invention comprise a first support member of rigid sheet metal or plastic having a major, flat body portion with a base extending at 90 degrees from a lower end thereof. The first support member is fixedly attached to the deck or frame of the bed either permanently, e.g., by riveting or welding, or detachably, e.g., with threaded fasteners, thereby holding the base and preferably a lower portion of the body portion in firm engagement with the bed deck or frame. A secondary support member is attached to the first support member and to the bed deck or frame to provide additional stability for the first support member. A hollow, cylindrical sleeve is detachably mounted to the first support member by a bolt extending through an opening in the support member and engaging a threaded aperture in the sleeve. The sleeve is mounted with its central axis positioned vertically and the axis of the threaded aperture horizontal. Assuming that protective rails are to be positioned on both sides of the bed, four such support structures are mounted to the bed, one on each side at the head and one on each side at the foot of the bed. End portions of the bed rails are inserted into the sleeves of each support structure and are releasably maintained by horizontal, spring loaded pins extending through the walls of the sleeves and into openings in the rail end portion.
The foregoing and other features of construction and operation of the bed rail support structure of the invention will be more readily understood and fully appreciated from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.